The full story of Kyalami's return to F1 relevance

Kyalami has been strongly linked with a return to Formula 1, with the championship apparently keen to see a grand prix in Africa on the calendar again. If that happens, the gamble one man has made in rejuvenating the circuit will be key

"Build it, and they shall come." The rejuvenation of Africa's most famous racetrack has plenty more about it than a paraphrased line from Field of Dreams. But Kyalami, a circuit in the doldrums earlier this decade that is now a potential candidate for a return to the Formula 1 calendar, does share one thing with a farmland baseball field Kevin Costner made for ghosts: if something does not exist, then it cannot be used or enjoyed.

It is not stretching the point to credit Kyalami's existence, let alone its return to hosting international motorsport this year, down to one man: Toby Venter, CEO of Porsche South Africa. You may have read about the prospects of a South African F1 race in the last week, and the connection to Venter's business, and considered it a peculiar link. But Venter has been vital to Kyalami's salvation and renovation.